$450

In 1838, a group of women from South Trenton, New York, drafted a plan for an Independence Day celebration in which “female delicacy might with propriety participate.” They resolved that the anniversary “should not pass in the neglect of them (as usual) without their independent movement to some suitable shades to enjoy their priveleges in social intercourse and interchange of good & patriotic feeling.” With an outline of sentiments and toasts by the women, this document highlights how women carved out space for their participation in partisan politics and patriotic commemorations.